"We always knew they were gonna thrive,” Elysse Mata, their mother, told Fox 5 NY. “I just don't think we expected them to do as good as they are doing.”

The news station reported that the Mata twins’ separation surgery lasted 26 hours. The girls face more struggles ahead, as they have a few surgeries scheduled, but Mata told Fox5NY.com that the additional operations are worth it as they have allowed her daughters to lead happy and healthy lives.